Asia Pacific
Improved connectivity leads to better cities and more profitable buildings, and data can play a crucial role in analyzing that connectivity and planning to maximize it, said a keynote speaker at the ULI Asia Pacific Leadership Convivium in Singapore.
When e-commerce first became entrenched in China, it seemed to sound the death knell for traditional retail. Sporting venues and other cultural attractions are helping bring foot traffic to the experiential retail of the future, said panelists at a ULI event in Shanghai.
Members of ULI’s Asia Pacific Tech Council discuss the new council’s areas of focus, the interface between technology startups and the real estate industry, the challenges of incorporating rapidly evolving technologies, the promise of big data, and related trends.
After several years of steady growth, Asia Pacific real estate continues to produce strong returns, but caution is increasingly embedded into investor strategies, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate ® Asia Pacific 2020, an annual real estate forecast jointly published by ULI and PwC. Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, and Melbourne are ranked as four of the top five markets for investment prospects, reflecting investor preference for regional markets that are large, liquid, and defensive.
Pragmatism and caution have defined China’s 40 years of economic reform, and this steady progress is set to continue, said Shui On Group chairman Vincent Lo speaking at the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Summit. Lo—who has been investing in China real estate for more than 30 years—said that the nation’s approach can be summed up by the aphorism “cross the river by feeling the stones.”
The evolution of the workplace is being driven by changing demands and the power of big data, said speakers representing developers, designers, futurists, and millennials at the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Shanghai.
ULI Philippines is creating the first ULI Library outside the United States in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Manila. Named the BGC–ULI Public Library for Urban Sustainability (BU+PLUS), the new facility will be located on the covered roof-deck penthouse area of the De La Salle University Rufino Campus. The library is scheduled to open by the third quarter of 2019.
Asset prices in Japan have risen strongly in recent years, fueled by influences including cheap and abundant capital, positive yield spreads, slow but steady economic growth, and a resurgent tourism sector that has proved to be a boon for local retailers. And, not least, positive sentiment around the 2020 Summer Olympics has been a factor, with many investors believing the market will remain buoyant until after the Games are finished. Recently, however, perceptions have shifted, with a growing body of opinion gravitating towards the view that a correction may occur well before summer 2020.
Though the postcard photos of Shanghai’s gleaming Pudong district are familiar, fewer people are aware of the large numbers of heritage properties the city is conserving and regenerating, said panelists at the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Summit.
A jury composed of ULI full members has selected the winners of the 2019 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, recognizing and celebrating a diverse group of projects that showcase best land use practice from across the region. “Asia Pacific is home to many exemplary projects,” said Nicholas Brooke, chairman of ULI Asia Pacific. “All the winners of this year’s award demonstrate best practice in land use and continue to push the industry forward while putting people first.”
Singapore
A seminar organized by the ULI Singapore NEXT Committee presented attendees with the little-known concept of real estate “tokenization,” or fractional investing/trading, as a potential bridge between private investors and direct ownership. Although not new, tokenization in real estate is a niche market, particularly in Asia Pacific, with Singapore hosting a small number of the specialized digital platforms.
Once the site of an abandoned quarry, Singapore’s Rifle Range Nature Park now serves as a buffer zone protecting one of the island nation’s last primary rainforests, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, from encroaching development and human activity. Located to the reserve’s south, Rifle Range is Singapore’s first net-positive energy nature park, harvesting more energy than its annual operational requirements.
Fourteen developments from across Asia have been named winners of the 2025 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious honors. Announced at the 2025 ULI Asia Pacific Summit held in May in Hong Kong, this year’s award winners include projects in Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Hong Kong
At a recent event hosted by ULI Washington, panelists discussed how U.S. and Chinese companies are continuing to work together. After record levels of U.S. investment from China in 2016, new controls on capital outflow and investors’ changing attitudes have slowed inflows, while domestic development in China has also shifted.
On China’s southern coast, the integration of the Greater Pearl River Delta links nine cities, plus the special administrative zones of Hong Kong and Macau, to create an urban area of 21,100 square miles (55,000 sq km) and a population of up to 80 million.